Chapter Text
He awoke with a start.
Aoshi hadn't expected to have a dream about… Them. He did his best not to think about it. Though, he had an interesting day yesterday, with Raichi coming in and helping him out. He hadn't been able to help anyone out like that, not since…
He forced himself to get out of bed. There was no use thinking about it. The mere thought cut further into a still open wound. So Aoshi distracted himself. Spoon weaved between his legs as he got a pouch of cat food out for her, and he turned the kettle on for a coffee. Focusing on looking after Spoon always seemed to help his mental health. He still remembered when he had adopted her from the shelter, when─
No, he wouldn't think about them. He turned his attention elsewhere. He had to get the shop ready, and check the agenda for today. There wasn't anything today, as far as he was aware, but tomorrow there was the new hire, Nanase, he thought, and the delivery. There hadn't been anyone working in the shop for a while, so Aoshi hoped he would be a good fit. It would be a weight off of his shoulders.
Today… What was he going to do to try and distract his thoughts from that dream? He could plan ahead for the order on Thursday, but…
There was always the option of going to the bakery at lunch, but Aoshi wasn't sure he could manage talking to Barou today, as much as he wanted to. Sometimes it was too much for him, especially when he asked too many questions, whether he had been eating properly, why he looked tired…
He got ready and headed downstairs. As he expected, it was a slow day. It left him too much time to think, and he did his best to concentrate those thoughts on what he would eat for dinner. He had to go shopping for more food for Spoon later, as they were due to run out tomorrow, so he could get some treats for her as well. Aoshi thought about everything bar that dream he had.
By the time his lunch break rolled around, he needed the distraction of feeding Spoon. He locked the door and swung the sign around, taking off his apron and heading upstairs. She was waiting as always, and jumped up on the counter. Aoshi scratched behind her ears and after getting her food tried to figure out what to make himself. A sandwich would be pretty good. That wouldn't be too hard to eat.
Aoshi decided to head to the store quickly, since he didn't have much to get and thirty minutes of his left of his break. Cat food, some treats for her, and then eggs, green onions, bread buns and beans. He should have everything else for burgers at home.
As he walked home, he saw a woman looking at the arrangements out at the front of the shop. Was she a customer? She looked conflicted, twirling a lock of brown hair around her finger.
He walked around the back to enter the back door, and went upstairs to put away his shopping. Just in time, too, an hour was almost up. Aoshi put his apron on and headed back down into the shop, and she was still there, waiting. He unlocked the door and swung the sign over, doing his best not to stare. Once he was behind his counter, the woman stood. She stared at the door, and took a breath before entering.
"I need a bouquet!"
Her cheeks flushed red, and Aoshi blinked as she clenched her fists. "Uh, what's the occasion?"
"I…" She rubbed her neck, eyebrows furrowed as she tried to sort her thoughts out. "I, uhm. Well, I guess it's for my coworker?"
That didn't tell him much, but he nodded. "Can you give me any, uh, any more information? What kind of message do you want portrayed?"
She turned red, and looked around aimlessly at the shelves, as if trying to pick up some sort of idea from the flowers laid out on them. It was clear she had no clue what she wanted; Aoshi couldn't decipher her glances that never lingered on a specific flower.
"Well… When I look at her, it makes me feel warm… She's very pretty too, and she has good fashion taste. I mean, I picked out this outfit with her. But it's not. Not that I feel that way. I… I think."
Aoshi recognised that feeling well. He had felt that same way about someone a while ago, and he thought about it as he looked at his flowers.
Roses… His hand lingered for a moment. No, they were too upfront. He turned, taking a look at other flowers. Tulips… Yellow tulips, and… Carnations? That sounded like a good mix.
"I knew someone like that a while ago. They used to work here, and they always dressed up no matter what." Aoshi said, trying to dispel the heavy atmosphere. That seemed like the right thing to say, as the woman laughed.
"Chou is just like that! I work at the gym, and she always comes in looking incredible. I used to wonder if I was jealous, or something but I… I don't feel any ill will towards her. I don't want to be pitted against her." She sighed, and leaned back in the chair she was in. "That doesn't mean I'm in love with her, right?"
The way it said it sounded like she was, but Aoshi wasn't about to be rude to his customer and assume things. "I'm not sure. Would you like me to write who it's from or who the recipient is?"
"Yes, uhm. It's from Anri Teieri. The recipient is, uhm, Chigiri Chou." She beamed, and watched as Aoshi wrote their names in cursive on a little card, and wrapped it up. "It looks perfect."
Anri got her wallet out to hand him the amount he asked, and picked up her bouquet. She turned to leave, and Aoshi fidgeted.
"I think you should be honest with yourself. If you like her, then that's what's important, isn't it?" She stopped, and looked down at the bouquet in her arms.
"Yeah… I hope she'll like it. Thank you. I can pull some strings for a discounted membership at the gym, if you feel up to it." She smiled, and left Aoshi to his thoughts.
The day seemed to fly by after that, and he was left exhausted as he hauled himself back up to his apartment. Aoshi wanted a drink/
He paused as he opened the cupboard to get out his coffee filters. There were still a few boxes of tea inside that had been left untouched for months. Aoshi hadn't been able to think about even tasting any of the tea that had been pushed to the back of his cupboard, but now… He reached for one. Chamomile. Despite the fact that it had been such a long time since he made himself tea, the actions were second nature. He had kept the teapot clean, as one of the only things they had left behind. Along with Spoon, but she was…
Aoshi let the tea steep, and he could smell the aroma when he poured it out. Sweet, and somewhat like apples. It was comforting as he drank from his teacup, but each sip brought a memory with it. His vision was blurry with tears as he put it down on the counter-top to sink to the floor, sobbing. As much pain as he was in… It felt like a release. Opening a pressurised container of gas to let some of the contents escape, bringing it down to a level where it wasn't at risk of exploding. After his cry, he sipped it again, and found it so much more relaxing. He had missed this flavour.
Aoshi went to bed that night, not quite welcoming the thoughts of them but feeling a small weight lift off of his chest.
-
Aoshi came to the flower shop a lot. It was nicer here than his apartment, and relaxing in the scents was nice. ── never told him to leave, even insisting that he stay for a cup of tea when he passed by. He was asked his opinion on arrangements, sometimes being told to fetch various flowers for what they were working on. Learning the names of each one was easy for him. Anything to help them.
"You know, I like you." Aoshi almost dropped his cup, and stared at ──. They had that same serene expression, but there was a blush blooming on their ears and spreading to their cheeks gradually. "You don't have to say anything right now, but…"
He swallowed. "Me too."
They looked down at the teacup in their hands, and smiled in some strange sort of way that seemed almost melancholy. "Is that so?”